Nostalgia …

At times words just fail you and the inarticulate you takes over. The thought does not translate into meaningful words but leaves you with a smile on your face. Yeah :-)

I celebrated my 26th birthday last week and as I look back I remember those enumerable moments that are etched in my mind. Moments that I want to re-live.

As a toddler, I ran behind my elder sister and chased her wherever she went. Yes, she was the world to me. The lush green gardens of Anushaktinagar and a 5 year old chasing around her elder sister, wanting to be like her, trying to do all that her sister could! :-) :-)

Fast forward a few years and I see myself with 2 of my closest friends in the Primary school. I could do anything for them. I mean it. I would bad-mouth anyone who hurt them, Bully anyone who troubled them and happily give away my treasured belongings to them [and yeah, Only to them]. That was me then :-))). Happy in my tiny, little, secure world.

A few more years, and there I am sitting on the steps of RAIT, outside that Mechanics lab, chaapoing assignments, page by page, word by word, as we gossip about the latest happenings. Evenings were spent with the A-nagar gang - those long walks, the car races, Kareena Kapoor’s songs blasting in Angad’s car, I-Max experiences and so much more …

A lot has changed since then of course, like it does for everyone. I call my life Nomadic now …for I haven’t stayed in any one city for more than a year after my BE. Action packed, fast paced and constantly changing – like a stream of flowing water.

4 years, 4 different cities, across 2 continents. I wonder what is it that I will remember about this phase of life when I look back.

P.S – As I read this post again, I notice the similarity with one of my favorite scenes from the movie “Bluffmaster” :-)

Check out Boman Irani and Abhishek Bachchan -

Rendezvous with Bangalore - 1

I walk alone, amongst strangers. In a city that speaks an alien language, in a city which has its own norms. Through the hustle bustle of traffic and through the narrow lanes. Through the pallyas [locality] and through the hallis [ Village]. Along the lake, beneath the trees. Inside the market, besides the temple.

I am clearly not used to this kind of life. Here I walk, lost in my own musings. Knowing that I will not bump into any friend on the way or be greeted by an acquaintance. I am not scurrying to catch any bus/ train/ auto here. And so I walk, at my own pace, in my own world.

Nyone , relate to this ?

But slowly the city is growing on to me. I know a few people, some associations... and we acknowledge each other with a smile or a nod. Besides old TCS/ISB pals and the new friends that I am making, I am also greeted by other people who provide services…my watchman who opens the gate for me, my maid who gives me company for the evening chai, my tailor who sits down the street…

But in this unfamiliar city…things do not seem cold when I walk back home to meet the kindergarten kid playing downstairs. He always has stories to narrate to me – from school activities to the wonders of Chota Bheem – his favorite animation :-) And all the detachment disappears when a toddler walking down the street looks up and smiles at me standing in the balcony …and I wave back :-)

Shimmer, Magic, Delight ...

It’s that time again. Festivities all around. Light, Magic, Madness. I’ve loved the Diwali season since the time I remember and I still do. The cold winter setting, the celebration time, the radiance and the shine, it is just so rejuvenating.
After a sleepless week of surviving on barely 3 hours average sleep, I just indulged and pampered myself yesterday. A lazy afternoon, a cuppa chai, a Hillary Duff starrer ‘Perfect man’ (at least on screen) on HBO and my laptop – what else does one need!
For now, the movie name itself seems like such a hypothetical concept. But what the hell!
A cute movie, very girlie, and I think the inspiration behind Desi flick Mitr - my friend, in some ways. While the movie progressed and Holly became desperate to protect her mom's newfound happiness, my quadmates became more determined and pledged yet again, to get me drunk one day. Very clichéd ‘happily ever after’ end of the movie, but for the sparkling illusionary charming mood all around, I let it pass. Freezed another movie plan for Diwali night, this seems so unimaginable at ISB, indulging in movies back to back.

Looking back at Diwali celebrations that I’ve had in my life, from anar and lavangis to more progressed lakshmi bombs and rockets, from my camaraderie with anushakti friends to new found friends in Dallas, from mafco meetings to teen patti teams at ISB fiesta …
It’s brought me many new friends, loads of happiness and a sea of good memories that fetches a smile to my face. May this mood never end …
Happy Diwali people !! :-)

Show Me The Way

I pray…

for courage, for serenity,

for wisdom, for equanimity

I pray…

To acknowledge the supreme power,

To acknowledge the vagrant poor

I pray …

To feel the guiding strength of my father,

To remember the lessons of goodness taught to me by my mother

I pray…

To stir my inert soul,

To mellow my frenetic core

I pray…

I pray n I pray everyday…

different reasons, different modes,
from childhood, to worldliness, to journey abode.

Uncool

Things I find uncool in a speaker sessions:-

Walking out halfway during the session& that too in groups or in a file one behind the other. Gets very insulting for the speaker.

Even worse, sitting back uninterested and continously whispering and talking.

Ad naeseum Q n A way beyond the allocated session time; that forces many to actually walk out :)

Murky Me

Thats what a part of my schedule for the next 25 days looks like.
Yeah Just filled in all the assignment due dates on my planner, mind you have just accounted for 3 subjects out of 4. On top of this is gonna be, accelerated club meets, PAEV, B school competitions, speaker sessions etc etc etc.

Cant afford to fall ill @ this hour. But my Doc DJ strictly advised me to take good rest. Says it's viral, 3- 10 dayzzzz.

It's raining outside and everything seems gloomy. Seen enough politics that I can take for this term. Everyone is under pressure ... ELP teams, Paev, Club activities... the list is endless.

For some breather for myself, I have managed to capture some really cool pics......ah ! there is so much more to life !!
BTW read an interesting quote : Weather forecast for tonight: Dark”

I can be so Dogmatic at times …

It’s that time of the term again.
First week T3, action replay of first week of T1 classes.
Donno where do people get the confidence to go on ad nauseam in the classes which have a high percentage for CP. And when I say confidence I mean the conviction to go on talking without adding any value to the class.

I agree that a lot depends on the professor facilitating class participation. This is clearly instantiated by the fact that T2 had good CP happening owing to some amazing professors. These Profs precisely knew
When to throw open questions to the class?
How to contain responses which called for high air time
How to cross question to limit arbit CP and also to facilitate more thinking on students’ part
And more importantly, they had the control and gave direction to the discussions happening in the class.

But not all Profs are able to do it as efficiently. Does it not then fall upon the students to ensure that the class discussion is fruitful? Or do we start behaving like school going kids and succumb to pressures of “The CP”.
The CP, which counts for 5-20 % of different courses, The CP, which brings out how different people behave, The CP, which shows what soft skills you carry, The CP which shows how you pick up signals the world around you is giving you, The CP, which shows you different sides of your own friends which you might not see otherwise J
I understand that the pressure to perform is very high, and I also realize that
If it’s not you then someone else will capitalize on The CP opportunity. But in this race why do we forget that by throwing random points in the class no one is actually being benefited. Why do we have difficulty following the Profs instructions and basic discipline of a class?

I know that it’s just the beginning of the term and after the 4 day vacation people are rejuvenated and high on energy. Truly hope that this CP mania cools down soon.
Don’t want to end up being more and more cynical about the whole thing or rather succumb to the same after seeing my own T2 CP score: P
Whichever way it is, I honestly do not want to vent out my frustration against such paltry matters in any further posts …

However I also strongly advocate that CP MUST be a part of grading. Besides the fact that students sometimes do have excellent ideas/experiences/information to be shared,
I believe The CP also makes up for the absence of any psychology/ human behavior class in the MBA course.
After all how else would you practically get to study human responses and behavior in a classroom environment!!

Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness, has never danced in rain

I loved the rain as a child. I loved the sound that went pitter patter . My earliest memories of rainy season are of when I was about 4 and used to rhyme ..."Rain rain Go away " . Wonder if I then knew what I was reciting.

Imagine the feeling of going to school on a rainy day only to realise that its been declared holiday.Its almost like waking up early and realizing that you have so much more time to sleep.

I vividly remember my first gardening lessons... trying to plant a mango tree, digging the soil, and planting the seed. But I clearly remember the rains that were pouring then. Yes ! the hope that the rains would magically transform the mango seed into a big blooming tree.

Getting drenched in the rain, feeling the rain on the face ..... the rejuvinating aroma of the wet earth, the hiss of the air and the deapth of the dark skies....the genesis of new life, purging away the worries...Giving way to a new world - Pure, sharp, sparkling and ebulliant.
And so when it rained the day I landed in Hyderabad...it was such a treat. Another celebration happened after the midterms...it poured and it poured like crazy...ISB campus was transformed into a resort....
Missing Anushakti days,the campus,the rainy seaon, the long walk with friends, getting each other drenched, the BARC project, the serenity of the hillside, the stormy sea, the mighty winds, the Bombay monsoon, the Marine drive, the bhutta-wala, the cutting chai....
Needless to say ...the song playin right now ... Sawan barse tarse dil .....